


Save Me

by commanderwoobie



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Age Difference, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Slow Burn, attempted slow burn at least, everybody's a mess, more tags as i write, shitty summary is shitty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:27:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28644435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commanderwoobie/pseuds/commanderwoobie
Summary: After the Darkest Day, Champion Scout has to try and heal herself and her little family.  She didn't think former Chairman Rose was also going to be involved.
Relationships: Rose | Chairman Rose/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hello! It's been a hot minute since I've done any of the fanficing, but Apharine is an inspiration and I've been obsessing over Sw/Sh again since I got a copy of Sword for chrimmas. Now, Scout is based on my trainer from Shield, buuuuuut I lost my copy in the move so some of it will be new stuff for her. Especially if I do anything DLC related. After I play them xD
> 
> And the dumb Victorian Brats are not recognized in this house.

Trying to befriend Eternatus was terrifying, and Scout wasn’t entirely sure why she was doing it. Other than the fact she loved all her Pokémon and wanted to make sure they were happy with her.

And Eternatus was hers.

They were starting small, standing on the pitch of Wyndon Stadium, and Scout only had her three strongest with her in case things went south. Sasha the Cinderace, Nicki the Thievul, and Amore the Sylveon. While Amore was really the only one with the type advantage, Sasha and Nicki could easily hold their own. Scout was hoping it wouldn’t come to that, anyway. 

The new Champion stood in the center of the stadium, Sasha and Nicki at her sides, while Amore trotted alongside Eternatus as they hovered through the area. She could hear the Sylveon chattering amiably, ribbons waving gently. Sasha was tense beside his trainer, and Scout could feel the heat coming off him, ready to attack if need be. Nicki was just examining her paws, like this was nothing.

They waited as the huge dragon-poison type checked his surroundings, and after a moment, Scout realized they were responding to Amore with pitched hums. Soon Amore shifted and ran towards Scout, very pleased with herself. Eternatus followed after, drifting to a stop arms length away. Anxiety spiked through her, but Scout caught herself before stepping back. Nicki’s tail brushing the back of her legs calmed her enough to continue.

“Hey, um...Eternatus,” she started after taking a couple deep breaths. Amore chirped supportively while Sasha took her hand. “So I thought we could start by giving you a name.”

The large head cocked to the side. 

“I was thinking maybe Sparks? I know you’re not an electric type, but power is kinda your thing.”

A pause before Eternatus dipped their head, humming what sounded like acceptance. 

“Oh, cool! So Sparks, yooouuuu….seem awfully calm about all this and it’s throwing me off? I’m very scared right now.” 

She yelped when Eternatus suddenly dropped their head towards her chest, but they only nudged her. Scout kind of wanted to cry. They nudged again. Sasha let out a warning growl, and the huge Pokémon pulled back, humming at him. They spoke together for a moment before Sasha tapped on her chest above her heart. Brows furrowed, Scout looked between Sasha and...Sparks.

“You...like me? But that fight we had was...not great.”

Then Sasha pointed at Amore who chittered happily. Apparently the two had had a very good talk about her. Scout hesitantly reached out with her free hand while the other gripped Sasha’s paw perhaps a little too hard. Sparks bumped her hand and a little jolt of power passed between them. 

She had saved them.

xxx

Six months had passed and Scout and Sparks were starting to do practice battles. She doubted she would ever use them against another trainer, but the Wild Area was another thing entirely. And the exercise was good for both of them. They mostly stuck to dynamax dens, and Scout tried to find the stronger ones. 

“Nice one, Sparks!” she praised as the giant Dredmaw staggered back from the critical hit. “You got ‘em on the ropes, sweethe—ACK!” The ground quaked as the Dreadmaw slammed their whole body weight down. Cracks began to form and expand. Sparks made a distressed sound while the Champion staggered. “Don’t worry about me!” Scout responded, leaping across a fissure to more stable ground. Sparks nodded and shot a Hyper Beam at the Dredmaw. It was enough and the giant Pokémon fainted. Scout quickly tossed a Poké Ball at them and looted some berries while she waited for the click of capture. 

Eternatus zipped over and bumped their face against her back. Scout laughed as she scooped up the Ball and put both it and all but one of the berries in her bag.

“I’m okay! See? Not even a scratch this time.” She tossed the berry into their mouth before the pair left the den. 

Outside, Scout checked her phone for any messages. PokéGram had some notifications, a couple of emails that could wait, and Leon asking when she was going to be back in Wyndon. A quick glance at the time showed they could either hit another den or she could head back now and get some relaxing in before meeting up with Leon. 

“Do you wanna do another den, or do you wanna go home and I’ll make some curry?”

Sparks very rarely made noises other than hums, so Scout laughed when they trilled for curry. 

xxx

Scout was absolutely surprised when Leon was already at the Battle Tower (unofficial currently since there were still some legal things needed before Leon fully took possession of the Tower). “Did you sleep in the office?” she teased, jogging up to her friend. “I had some extra time so I got you a mocha from the Battle Cafe. Decided  _ not  _ to fight since I only have Rose and Sparks—“ Her words were caught off when she finally noticed the other person in the room. 

Despite everything, her heart still raced at the sight of his handsome face.


	2. Chapter 1

Chairman Rose. 

Well...former Chairman Rose. 

“Hello, Champion,” he said softly with a nod. “Congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished.”

The smile plastered on Scout’s face was far less attractive than she had hoped it would be, more of a grimace twisted in rictus. Her gaze shifted to Leon as she ground out “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged and at least he looked embarrassed. “I didn’t think you’d care.”

Scout fixed her smile to something much more professional, and hooked her arm through Leon’s. “Excuse me, sir,” she said to Rose and he nodded, an amused smile on his face. Scout then roughly dragged the much taller man to a corner of the office so they could have some semblance of privacy. 

“You thought I wouldn’t  _ care _ ,” she hissed, glowering. “Leon, do you not remember the Darkest Day?  _ He caused it! _ ” While that was a shitty day, and she still had terrible nightmares about it, it was an excuse. Despite everything that Rose had done, Scout was still hopelessly in love with him. And she hated herself for it.

Leon had stopped smiling and had shoved his hands deep in his pockets, hunching over. “I’m sorry, Scout. I just... I’m okay with it so I assumed you were okay with it. I’m really sorry.”

She still scowled and scratched aggressively at her scalp. “A warning would have been nice. I mean, come on, Leon. I thought it was just gonna be the two of us. I’m wearing a sports bra and leggings, for Arceus’ sake.”

Leon took her hands to stop her scratching, but he was smiling. “Yeah, but you look good. Speaking of leggings, DENSOKU wanted to see if we could do a model photo shoot for them.”

“Yeah, I’d be down. So why is Mr Rose here?”

“Oh, we had to sign some papers so I could start renovating the Tower, and he mentioned he wanted to see you, and that’s when I asked when you’d be coming back from the Wild Area.”

“Leon...Arceus, okay. Okay. I’ll go talk to him…” Once Leon let go of her hands, Scout walked back over to the former Chairman, a much more reasonable expression on her face. “Hi. Sorry about that. I wasn’t, um...expecting you.”

“Perfectly understandable, Champion. I wanted to apologize for...everything. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I wanted to at least let you know how terrible I feel for putting you through that.”

As far as Scout could tell, he seemed genuine in his apology. And he certainly looked like he had been through hell for the last six months.

But she couldn’t let her guard down.

“Apology accepted. You’re not forgiven, though. I can’t do that yet.”

“So there’s a chance?” Rose asked, with a roguish smile.

_ Oh no. _

Scout squeaked and felt her face heat up which she quickly buried in her hands. “Yes,” was the muffled response. “There’s a chance, but it’s not going to be easy.”

“I would expect no less from a beautiful woman like yourself.”

Arceus, save her.


	3. Chapter 2

“I’m about to murder your brother, Hop,” Scout growled. The phone was on speaker since she was rage making some bread. Her grandmother had taught her frustration was good for the kneading process. 

“What did Lee do now?” Hop asked, only mildly concerned. 

“Blindsided me with the Chairman.”

“He did  _ what _ ??”

“Yeah, he wanted to meet up at the Battle Tower—it’s official now, by the way—and I go there and  _ bam _ —Chairman Rose.”

Hop was silent for a moment and then there was a whispered “He’s mad. Lee’s absolutely mad.”

“I know! And get this; he didn’t think to give me any warning because he thought I was okay with it.”

“We almost died!”

“ _ I know _ ! Leon’s too, I dunno. He’s like a Yamper, y’know?”

The properly beaten dough was dropped into a loaf pan and slid into the oven. After the timer was set, she grabbed her phone and moved into the living room, plopping onto the couch. Sasha sat next her while Amore hopped up and curled into her lap. 

“And like the meeting was because the Chairman wanted to apologize. So it wasn’t even Leon who wanted to see me.”

“I’ll talk to him, mate. I can’t believe he did that. So what did you say to Rose?”

“I told him the apology was accepted but he was not forgiven.”

“How’d he take that?”

Scout hesitated before answering, stroking Amore’s ears while she debated what to tell Hop. He was the only one who knew about her feelings, but she wasn’t certain if he knew she  _ still _ had them.

“Fine,” she finally said. 

“Scout. How did he take it?”

Scout swore and Hop laughed.

“C’mon, mate, we’ve been best friends since we were small. I know everything!” His voice turned serious. “Now, did he say anything hurtful. Did he threaten you?”

The Champion sighed, scratching her scalp. “He...he flirted with me. He basically said he’ll work to get my forgiveness.”

“Wait, you’re not still crushing on him are you?”

“I know it’s bad, but I can’t help it, Hop. And don’t say anything. I’m dealing with it.” There was another sigh, and Amore nudged at her arm to get her to stop scratching. “Look, I’ll call you later, okay? I need to spend some time with Sparks.” It was only a partial lie. 

“Sure. Take it easy, yeah?”

“Will do.” She hung up before Hop could say anything else. “Okay, sweeties,” Scout said to the few Pokémon gathered around her. “Shall we do a movie night?”

This was met with a chorus of affirmatives. Their trainer laughed and got everyone set up.

xxx

She was back in the power plant. 

Rose’s Copperajah was so big in the little room. The ground wouldn’t stop shaking. Scout couldn’t stand. He looked at her with blank eyes. The Copperajah stomped. The floor cracked. Batteries exploded. There was too much noise, too much movement, too much everything. Where was Sasha? Sasha was supposed to be here. Where were any of her Pokémon? Her belt. Her belt was gone. There it was, by the Copperajah—

_ Crack! _

Scout bolted upright awake, almost tumbling off the couch. She was hyperventilating, whole body shaking.

“Sasha,” she sobbed. The Cinderace was already awake and taking her hands, making soft sounds. “Oh, you’re okay. I can’t—“

He continued to make comforting noises but firmly held her hands. He gently kicked at Amore and after a groggy moment, she wrapped her ribbons around Scout. Some of her other Pokémon moved to her to offer their support, and after some time, Scout finally calmed down. She wrapped her arms around as many as she could, hugging them tightly. 

“Thanks everyone. I don’t know what I would do without all of you.”

Sasha’s response was a gentle headbutt. 

xxx

Despite her Pokémon comforting her, Scout wasn’t able to get back to sleep. Which was extremely unfortunate since she had a tv interview. 

“So what’s it like being the new Champion? Has it caused any tension between you and your rival, Hop?” the host asked, with a professional amount of curiosity in her voice.

Scout knew she wanted gossip, but… “No tension at all. Hop has been very supportive and he couldn’t be happier for me. As for being Champion, I’m enjoying it. I’m a lot busier now, of course, but I’ve been able to spend quality time with my friends and family.”

“And what about the former Champion?”

“What about him?”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him, have you not?”

There was a glint of... _ something _ in the host’s eyes, and Scout felt her anxiety rise. “Well, yes. We’re friends and he’s been helping me transition into my new role.”

“Of course,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “But surely you’re  _ more _ than friends. After all, he’s the Unbeatable Champion. So what did you do?”

The room started closing in and the lights were too bright, too hot.

“I’m—I’m not sure I follow,” Scout said, her own voice distant.

“Did you seduce Leon? Did you promise yourself to him if he lost? You didn’t even  _ have _ a Pokémon before you started your Gym Challenge. I find it very difficult to believe you got through the Challenge and beat Leon as inexperienced as you are. However, you are very pretty, so I would believe you used that to your advantage and paid off those you couldn’t.”

She was starting to get dizzy. Everything was becoming too much. Maybe she was able to say the interview was over? Scout couldn’t remember. She had to get out.  _ She had to get out _ . Scout managed to stumble off the set and somehow got outside. Even if it was the back alley. 

On the verge of hyperventilating, Scout found a spot behind some crates and promptly stuffed herself into the small space. She would simply hide there until she calmed down.

She couldn’t believe she’d just been accused of—what? Cheating? By subduction and bribery? That absolutely wasn’t true. Though, it was true she didn’t have a lot of battle experience before the Challenge. 

And how many more people believed the same way the host did?

And then the dark little voice in her head asked how many of those wins did she actually deserve?


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo!! I’m trying to do some subtle stuff xD also, Scout’s anxiety attacks and what not are based on my own. I hope they’re coming across reasonably well.

Scout jolted awake. She really needed to stop doing that. Especially, since this time she bonked the back of her head against the wall. She hunched over, holding the back of her head while the pain radiated through her skull and waited for it to pass.

“Ow ow ow,” she hissed. Once the pain wasn’t pounding in time to her heartbeat anymore, Scout unclenched her body and groaned. She was still stuffed in the little space between some crates and the tv station’s building. Things were stiff, and while she was still young, she wasn’t a child who could just sleep anywhere and be fine. Camping was one thing, but this? This was not great. Not to mention it was beginning to get cold and dark. Damn, she had been here all day.

The Champion extracted herself and slowly stretched, not wanting to get lightheaded. After that she checked her phone and sighed. Several texts and missed calls. She was shocked she hadn’t woken up at all for any of them. Even though she was usually exhausted after a bad anxiety attack like that and hadn’t hardly slept the night before, she shouldn’t have passed out that completely. Maybe she should schedule a spa day.

First, let everyone know she was alive. Then some food because she was  _ starving _ . So she made her way out into the main street, and called her mom. Talked to her for a bit, assured her she was okay, and that you just were in a dead zone. Texts to Marnie, Raihan, and Sonia saying much the same. A text to Leon with more detail and to ask if he was free to get dinner. A phone call to Hop telling him everything.

“ _ Arceus _ , Scout….” Hop finally said when she was done. “Now I know why Mum always hated that woman. Maybe take a couple days off? Come home to Postwick or something.”

“I’d love to,” Scout said with a sigh. “But I’m afraid if I run off after this then it’ll just be proof of...that stuff. No, I’ll stay here. Do my Champion stuff. Hopefully, they won’t air the interview and this will all just blow over, y’know?”

“Hopefully. Okay, well, since you won’t take anytime off, take care of yourself tonight. You’re gonna burn out. Take a bath and have Sasha keep it hot or something. Or take a ride on Rose. Maybe even both!”

“That does sound great.”

Hop paused for a moment before saying “Do you think you’ll ever change her name? Rose, I mean?”

“No,” she answered immediately. “She’s been Rose ever since I caught her as a little Rookidee on our way to Wedgehurst.”

“Okay, okay. I was just  _ wondering _ . Don’t need to bite my head off,” he said, but was laughing. 

Scout smiled, a little laugh escaping. “I’m sorry. It’s just something I’ve already thought about. And there’s nothing new on the Mr Rose front. A bonus to basically losing consciousness all day.”

“There is that! But yeah, Scout. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Will do. I’m getting some food and then relaxing.

“Perfect.”

Hop hung up and Scout found herself back at the stadium. She went inside and took the private entry door to the corridor that would lead to her apartment. Amore greeted her as soon as she entered and nearly took her down. Though when Sasha added his weight, she did go down and it quickly turned into a Yamper-pile, with Yuri making it official. Even if he was a Boltund now. Then there was a Corviknight squawk and Scout could see the large black bird hop over, intending to top of the pile.

“Nooo!” Scout yelped between laughs. “Rose, don’t do it!”

Rose flitted up and landed on the pile.

“You’re crushing meeeeeee,” Scout groaned, still laughing. The other Pokemon who also under Rose made various noises of discomfort and wiggled around. Rose, however, just fluffed up and settled in. “This is it. This is how I die.” She got a tingly lick from Yuri.

Her phone buzzing in her pocket, however, caused a startled mad dash to get off and away from the vibrations. Free now, Scout sat up and looked at her phone, Rose looking at the screen with her.. A response from Leon saying he was glad she was okay, but he was with Raihan and was it okay if they got breakfast instead. Scout replied with an affirmative, and as soon as that was sent, she got a follow up with an apology. Scout frowned, but before she could question him, her doorbell rang.

“Who in the world,” she muttered as she stood, brushed herself off, and opened the door. There was an avian noise of surprise as Rose’s namesake stood on the other side of the door. And he looked very concerned.

“Leon told me you went missing?” he said, stepping forward. Taken aback, she stepped aside and even the Corviknight moved out of the way.

“ _ Missing _ is a bit of a strong word,” Scout answered, closing the door. Rose, the human, turned to her while Rose, the Corviknight, hopped back a few paces to give them space. 

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her over, brow furrowed. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I’m fine. A little sore, if I’m being honest, but that was my own damn fault, really.” Now she knew what Leon was apologizing for. He must have asked Rose to check on her since he was unavailable. “I had an interview go badly, that’s all.”

The expression he gave her told her he knew it was more than that.

Scout sighed and shifted out of his grasp. “Would you like some tea? This is more of a sitting conversation than a standing in the entryway conversation.”

“Tea sounds lovely,” Rose responded, smiling.

_ Ooooooh, that smile _ .

Scout glanced at her Corviknight and said “Sweetheart, will you show our guest to the living room?”

Her Rose nodded and used a wing to gesture to Rose to follow, then proceeded to do her awkward avian walk. The former Chairman gave a little bow to Scout before following his namesake. Scout called for Sasha and the pair went into the kitchen to make some tea.

Sasha made a small questioning sound as he heated up some water. 

“I think I’ll be okay,” Scout responded, her voice low. “I’m sorry about taking so long to get home. I should have brought you with me.”

The Cinderace nodded, and chittered. It sounded disappointed, but Scout knew he cared and was just concerned about her. She smiled and gave his ear a quick scritch before pulling out some tea and a couple of berries. Scout popped it all in the teapot and Sasha added the hot water. He moved it to a tray and Scout grabbed a few tea cups and put them on the tray as well. 

“Okay, shall we go see our guest?” Scout asked, picking up the tray. Sasha nodded and proceeded to take the tray from her, but when she tried to take it back, he kicked her slightly. “All right, all right,” she conceded, hands up. She laughed as she started to follow, but stopped abruptly. “Wait, I’m gonna grab the bread and some jam. You go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Another nod, and Sasha walked out. Scout cut a few slices and grabbed a couple jams. Everything was quickly arranged on a plate and Scout smiled. After all, it was only fair Rose get to eat the bread he caused her to make. 

  
  



	5. Chapter 4

“I do apologize for barging in like this,” Rose started, once everyone was settled with tea and bread. “But when I initially heard you were missing—“

“I wasn’t missing,” Scout said. “I—I just needed a moment alone.”

Rose frowned and took his time responding. “Then why not let anyone know?”

Her jaw clenched, while she tried to come up with an excuse. “My...phone was in a dead spot.” It worked with Mum, so maybe it would work with Rose?

His expression said it didn’t. And really, it probably didn’t work with Mum either, but she knew about Scout’s mental health.

The Champion’s leg started bouncing and she took a sip of her tea to buy herself some time. “I...had a really bad interview and got overwhelmed and kinda...had a panic attack and lost consciousness.” She didn’t meet his eyes, looking instead in her teacup.

There was silence for a moment before Rose said “May I ask what the interview was about?”

“You may ask.”

This got a soft laugh. “Ms Champion, what was this horrible interview that got you so worked up?”

She may have smiled. It was more of a quirk of one side of her mouth. “It was with Tiffany. From Good Morning Galar.”

“Galar Gossip, more like.”

“Yeah...she accused me of...cheating through bribery and seduction. And that I have something going on with Leon.” She glanced at Rose and was surprised to see anger on his face. He must have been in agreement then. Probably just didn’t realize it until Scout had said something. 

“I don’t remember much of what happened that day,” Rose said. “But I do remember our battle. You were incredible. True, you had the type advantage, but winning a battle is more than just that. Your relationship with your Pokémon is what helps you win. Sure, you’ve got the tactics, but none of that matters if your partner doesn’t trust you. And your Pokémon more than just trust you. They love you.”

Scout was quiet, not expecting the emotions that just barreled through her. “Um...why are you angry?” That was something she could latch onto, at least. 

“Because of the audacity of that woman! If I still had any pull in this city, I’d have her fired. We could still sue her, though. If it’s been aired, then that’s libel.”

“Oh, no. It’s okay! Hopefully it won’t get aired. Then no worries, right?”

Rose frowned, stroking his chin. “I’ll get something set up. So  _ if _ the interview  _ does _ air, we’ll be ready. Is that fair?”

Scout sighed, but nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair.” While she was concerned about the whole thing, she wasn’t sure taking legal action was going to help. “So that’s what happened. I got very overwhelmed, and on top of that, I didn’t really sleep last night so it was all bad.”

“I’m sorry,” Rose said after a moment. “And I suspect I didn’t help with, uh...blindsiding you yesterday.”

“Ha! Yeah, that didn’t help, but what’s done is done. But I did make this bread.”

“It is very good bread.”

“The trick is to knead it when you’re angry.”

“Well, that certainly puts me in a bind. I’d rather not make you angry, but as I said, this is  _ very good bread _ .” The last statement was punctuated with a pop of said bread into his mouth. 

Scout couldn’t help but laugh. Rose had caught her by surprise. When he wasn’t some weird power hungry CEO going too hard into protecting his region, he was...kind, funny—still intense but it was a good kind of intense. Like passionate. It was hard for her to believe they were the same person. 

There was one other thing she had caught on to earlier. “Um, I want to clarify something. You said you don’t remember what happened during...y’know?”

This time, Rose looked away. “Yes,” he said quietly after a moment. “It’s probably the only reason why I’m not locked behind bars right now.”

Scout wasn’t going to say anything, but she was surprised he was out and about. 

“The trial was a very small affair,” he continued. “They didn’t want it publicized with the intention of making sure I got a fair trial. When the judge and jury heard both Oleanna and I had severe memory loss leading up to the Darkest Day, they gave us a much lighter sentence than we expected. Essentially it was psychiatric help and community service. I checked myself into the mental hospital for five months and now here we are. I still have moments, but overall I’m doing much better.”

Scout reached across the small table between them and lightly touched the back of his hand. Rose jerked slightly, startled out of wherever he had gone. She kept her fingers there, pressing slightly once their eyes met. 

“I know what it’s like to lose yourself. Perhaps not quite to the extent you have, but I’ve definitely lost a lot of my life. If you need someone, I’m here.”

Rose placed his hand over hers. “Thank you, my dear.”

Maybe helping him would help her, too. 


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter cuz I was having a hell of a time with it. Also, I started watching Pokémon Journeys for, uh, research and loved the World Coronation Series so that’ll be a subplot. ALSO ALSO, I finally figured out the ages for Scout and Rose. I mean, she was always going to be of age, I just didn’t know how old. ANYWAY. Scout is 21 and Rose is 46.

The next morning came with a gift basket full of sweets, cheese, breads, berries, and a delicious rosé sparkling wine. The card that came with it was from the CEO of the Channel 10 tv station, and they were apologizing for that horrible interview. They wanted to make it very clear the opinions held by Miss Tiffany were not shared by themselves or by any of their other employees, and that the interview would not be aired. There was also a congratulations on her victory in the Gym Challenge and hopped the gift basket was to her taste. 

It certainly was to her taste, and a lot of the stress vanished as she popped a tiny cookie into her mouth. 

She carried the basket into the kitchen and packed most of it up, saving the extra good stuff for later. While sorting through the goodies, Scout called her agent and got her schedule cleared for the next few days. Which went a lot easier than she had expected, since everything she needed to do was easily rescheduled.

“Thanks, Abigail! I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” her agent said. “You haven’t taken much time for yourself lately. Other than training, of course. Even Leon needed a break every now and then.”

They talked for a little longer, Abigail asking about what happened yesterday since the CEO had called her in a panic—she had been the one to tell them what should go in the gift basket. Then her agent apologized as well and told Scout she would screen any further interview requests. Scout thanked her, and that was that.

After a quick text to her mother, telling her she was coming home for a few days, Scout finished packing up the food as well as a bag for her and her Pokémon. (Now that Nicki was a world famous Thievul, as she dealt some critical, super effective blows against Leon’s team, she demanded only the finest things in life.) A couple more texts to let some of the others know where she was going to be, and then she was ready. Everyone but her Corviknight went into their balls and Scout locked them onto her belt. Sparks’ ball was in its custom seventh slot, since she felt it was better to have them with her whenever possible. Rose was saddled up for flight and they took off from the balcony of her Stadium apartment. 

xxx

Thankfully, her Mum always kept a stocked pantry. Scout had already gotten two batches of cookies done before her mother had come home from work. She heard her laughing as some of the team greeted her before she was even through the door. Scout was sliding another tray into the oven when her mother entered the kitchen, Yuri, Amore, and Sasha on her heels. 

“Where’s Frost?” she asked. 

“I think he’s outside with Nicki. She’s been teaching him how to steal,” Scout replied, wiping her hands off before going to hug the dark-skinned woman. “He’s doing pretty good for a Glaceon.”

“It’s a good thing the berry trees are doing well, then,” Mum said with a laugh as she squeezed her daughter back. “I’m thrilled you’re here.” Mum let go so she could look her over and pushed her hand through Scout’s black curls. “I want you to relax, honey. You’ve been through so much and you deserve a break. So don’t worry about all that big city stuff. Okay?”

“Okay, Mum.”

She kissed her forehead and let her go. “Now, I’m going to spoil and spend some quality time with my grand babies. I may have bought some new toys.”

Scout laughed as Yuri bounced around and Sasha punched the air. “Oh goodness. Well, Sparks is in the backyard with Rose. We haven’t introduced him to new people yet, so just be careful.”

“Once he realizes Grammie only wants to shower him in love and affection, we’ll be golden.”

xxx

_ -We should sign up for the World Coronation Series! The two trainers who stopped the Darkest Day against the world! _

Scout grinned as she read the text from Hop and quickly tapped out a response. - _ I’ve been talking to Abigail about it. She wants to ask the board if they want me to join the Normal class or put me higher. _

- _ Really? What do you want to do? _

- _ Leon’s still Monarch. He didn’t lose his title when I took Champion, y’know? I’d rather join the Normal class with all the other first-timers and work my way up. Besides, we can’t be proper rivals if I get to start in the Great or Ultra class. >:3 _

_ -GOOD!!!! I’m gonna beat you and Lee, though. Just imagine—Monarch Hop and Champion Scout! _

_ -That would be pretty great. _

_ -Marnie’s gonna join, too. To help get some more media coverage on Spikemunth.  _

_ -OooOOOoo~~ You talking to Marnie?? _

_ -Do YOU still have your posters and League Cards of Rose? _

_ -Shut up. _

_ -That’s what I thought.  _

A second text came from Hop before she could reply. 

_ -Just be careful. I don’t know why, but you’re still smitten with him. _

_ -It’s a celebrity crush. Tons of people have them on Nessa and Piers.  _

_ -It may have started out that way, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t still be into Nessa or Piers if they tried to destroy Galar. _

_ -I dunno. Have you seen Nessa and Piers? They’re gorgeous, and they would gorgeously destroy Galar. But I’ll keep that in mind. About Rose. The destroying Galar part.  _

Also the gorgeous part, but Hop didn’t need to know about that. 


End file.
